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Ahh, Toyoda (not Toyota) Sensei. I've had the pleasure of meeting him several times during seminars. Toyoda Sensei is a very friendly and warm person. He enjoys teaching Kokyunages more than any other technique because as he says, "I enjoy watching the ukes fly through the air". In fact, he used to jokingly refer to the old Toyota automobile comercial by saying, "Oh what a feeling, Toyoda" after performing a kokyunage on an uke.

I enjoyed attending seminars when he was the guest instructor; he would always walk around and give personal instruction to everyone, not just stand at the front of the dojo and watch people fumble around.

I haven't been able to attend a Toyoda Sensei seminar in a few years but I recommend to everyone that if you have the opportunity to attend one, you should.

I had the distinct pleasure of taking my independent dojo around to "da big three" aikido associations in the U.S. (AAA) being one of them. Not only were Toyoda's representives warm and receptive to my situation but Toyoda himself took the time to talk with me personally to see what was best for me and my dojo. He was of the mindset of "What can I do for you, and your dojo?" instead of other organizations that I talked with that were of the mindset "what can you do for us?" Since then I have had many opportunities to train with both him and members of what I consider my extended Aikido family and each time, I have been welcomed like an old friend and always put on equal terms with the other dojo-cho. Toyoda's group puts a lot of emphasis on building and maintaining a good relationship with all of his students and Dojo, from the largest to the smallest(mine). Over the years, I have had the opportunity to train with many Shihan and various Aiki organizations, and still Toyoda has been one of, if not the most outgoing and friendly to me and my students. If any one wants to know more they can contact me via e mail

I am admittedly biased - coming from a AAA affiliate dojo. But I must say that if you have the opportunity to take a seminar by Toyoda... take it! I won't bore you with details, but I will say this: talk to anyone who has had anything to do with Toyoda for a period of time and from top to bottom you will hear that his biggest strength and passion is not necessarily his technique, but his *teaching* of technique. That is, the growing of knowledgeable, capable teachers who can spread high quality aikido is his number one goal. He concentrates on what he calls his "methodology," where he has approached the science of teaching systematically to de-mystify what it is that a great teacher does that sets that person apart from just a mediocre teacher.

His international organization, the AAI, is just finishing the construction of an International Headquarters Dojo (the dojo previously mentioned on this thread). I believe that the AAI is the only organization with an International Headquarters Dojo outside of the Hombu dojo, but I might easily be wrong on that count.